Transit Development Plan: 2015-2020 - King County Metro - September 2016 - 2020 Transit Development Plan
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Transit Development Plan: 2015-2020 King County Metro September 2016
Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 I. System Overview ................................................................................................................... 2 II. 2015 Activities ................................................................................................................... 13 III. Planned Strategies, 2016-2020.......................................................................................... 25 IV. Planned Activities, 2016-2020.......................................................................................... 27 V. Capital Improvement Program, 2016 - 2020 ..................................................................... 33 VI. 2013 Operating Data & 2016-2020 Projections ............................................................... 34 VII. Appendix – Asset Inventories ........................................................................................ 41
Introduction
King County Metro Transit’s “Transit Development Plan” for 2015-2020 is designed to comply
with the six-year planning requirements of the Washington State Department of Transportation,
or WSDOT, as required by RCW 35.58.2795.
This “Transit Development Plan,” includes information extracted from or consistent with King
County Metro Transit’s Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, 2011-2021. This plan was
adopted by the King County Council in July 2011 and amended in 2013 and 2016.
The current Strategic Plan for Public Transportation is published on the King County website,
and other jurisdictions may easily consult the plan for local and regional transportation and land
use issues. That document as well as additional information about Metro’s long-range planning
is available at: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/planning/. Metro also measures its progress towards
implementing the Strategic Plan on an annual basis. These annual progress reports can be found
in Metro’s Accountability Center: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/am/accountability/.
There are six sections in this plan plus an appendix, described below:
I. 2015 System Overview. This section describes the organization, physical plant,
service characteristics, and service connections of King County Metro.
II. 2015 Activities. This section describes the activities that Metro undertook in 2015.
III. Planned Strategies, 2016-2020. This section describes Metro’s strategies for the
next five years, and how the strategies align with WSDOT goals.
IV. Planned Activities, 2016-2020. This section describes Metro’s planned activities
for the next five years.
V. Capital Improvement Program, 2016-2020. This section describes Metro’s
Capital Improvement Program as budgeted for the next five years.
VI. 2015 Operating Data and 2016-2020 Projections. This section includes operating
data for 2015 and projected operating data for 2016-2020.
VII. Appendix – 2015 Asset Inventories. This section includes detailed inventories of
Metro’s facilities, fleet, and equipment.
1I. System Overview
The following chapter summarizes King County Metro Transit’s functional aspects, including
organization, plant, service, and multimodal connectivity.
Organization
King County Metro Transit, or Metro, is the Transit Division of the King County Department of
Transportation (KCDOT). The Metropolitan King County Council adopts plans, policies, and
budgets for Metro and the King County Executive oversees implementation of these legislative
actions through KCDOT. The Regional Transit Committee, a group of local elected officials
from cities within King County, provides recommendations to the King County Council on
policy and plans for Metro.
As of January 2016, King County Government and the Department of Transportation are
structured as follows:
Dow Constantine, King County Executive
Harold Taniguchi, Director, King County Department of Transportation
Kevin Desmond, General Manager of the Transit Division (interim General Manager Rob
Gannon as of March)
As of January 2016, the King County Council included the following nine members representing
the geographic areas shown in Figure 1:
Rod Dembowski Vice Chair, District 1
Larry Gossett District 2
Kathy Lambert District 3
Jeanne Kohl-Welles District 4
Dave Upthegrove District 5
Claudia Balducci District 6
Pete von Reichbauer District 7
Joe McDermott Chair, District 8
Reagan Dunn Vice Chair, District 9
Metro was created through a ballot measure in 1972 and began providing bus service in January
1973. In 1993, Metro’s authority and functions were transferred to King County government and
since that time Metro has been governed by the executive and legislative branches of King
County. At the end of 2015, Metro’s ridership was in the top 10 bus ridership of transit agencies
in the United States. Metro is larger than any other division in King County government. Figure
2 shows the Transit Division organizational structure as of August 2015.
2Figure 1. King County Council Districts
3Figure 2. Metro Transit Organizational Structure
4Physical Plant
Metro’s administrative offices are located at 201 South Jackson Street in downtown Seattle.
Metro has seven operating bases, and a variety of other physical facilities to support the
provision of transit and ridesharing service. Major facilities include:
Central Campus and SODO (Seattle)
Atlantic/Central Bases, 1270 6th Ave. S., Seattle
Atlantic Maintenance, 1555 Airport Way South, Seattle
Central Maintenance, 640 South Massachusetts, Seattle
Ryerson Base, 1220 4th Ave. S., Seattle
Transit Control Center, 1263 6th Ave. S., Seattle
Employee Parking Garage, 1505 6th Avenue South, Seattle
Tire and Millwright Shop, 1555 Airport Way South, Seattle
Marketing Distribution Center, 1523 6th Ave South, Seattle
Power Distribution, 2255 4th Avenue South, Seattle
Bellevue Campus & Eastside
Bellevue Base, 1790 124th NE, Bellevue
East Base, 1975 124th NE, Bellevue
Vanpool Distribution, 18655 NE Union Hill Road, Redmond
Tukwila
South Base, 12100 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila
Training and Safety Center, 11911 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila
South Facilities, 11911 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila
Component Supply Center, 12200 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila
Shoreline
North Base, 2160 N. 163rd St., Shoreline
Metro operates the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT), a 1.3 mile dual-bore transit-only
facility with five stations. Four stations are served by bus and Link light rail, while Convention
Place Station is served by buses only. The DSTT is served by 7 Metro bus routes, one Sound
Transit Regional Express bus route, and Sound Transit Link light rail. Joint bus-rail operations
began in the DSTT in 2009 with the start of Central Link light rail service and are scheduled to
end by 2018. The DSTT is one of very few facilities in the world with joint operations. DSTT
operating hours are 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. from Mondays to Saturdays and 6 a.m. to midnight on
Sundays. Metro also operates service on the SODO busway, a transit-only roadway between
South Spokane Street and Royal Brougham Way in Seattle.
Fifteen Metro routes use electric trolley buses. To support the electric trolley bus network,
Metro operates and maintains a network of overhead power infrastructure and electrical
substations to power the system.
5Service Characteristics
Fixed Route & DART Bus
As of December 2015, Metro operates a total of 220 fixed route services in addition to the Seattle
Streetcar. These fixed route services include:
97 All-Day Routes
73 Peak Period Commuter Routes
20 Peak Period School Routes
3 Night Owl Routes
13 Dial-a-Ride Transit (DART) Routes
4 Alternative Services Routes
Seattle Streetcar - South Lake Union line
2 Water Taxi Shuttles
8 Sound Transit Routes
As of December 2015, Metro operates 1,472 vehicles for fixed route service including 30’, 35’,
40’, and 60’ diesel buses, 60’ hybrid buses, and 40’ and 60’ electric trolley buses. In early 2016,
Metro began operating three Proterra electric battery buses (which required the installation of a
new charging station at Eastgate park-and-ride). Of the total, 1,363 are Metro vehicles and 109
are operated for Sound Transit. All Metro bus routes are ADA-accessible (lift-equipped) and
have bike racks, and many are low-floor. Table 1 displays details of Metro’s fleet, and
additional details are available in the fleet inventory at the end of this report.
Table 1. Metro Fleet, December 2015
Vehicle Type Number of Vehicles
30’ Diesel 36
35’ Diesel 62
40’ Diesel & Hybrid 397
40’ Diesel & Hybrid (ST) 12
60’ Diesel & Hybrid 705
60’ Diesel & Hybrid (ST) 97
40’ Trolley 108
60’ Trolley 55
Metro Dial-a-Ride Transit (DART) routes operate on fixed time points but offer the flexibility to
deviate from regular routes within specified service areas. All DART vehicles are lift-equipped.
Metro provides DART service through private contractors.
Alternative Services
The King County Metro Alternative Services Program brings a range of mobility services to
parts of King County that do not have the infrastructure, density, or land use to support
traditional fixed-route bus service. As such, alternative services are an important part of Metro’s
efforts to cost effectively deliver transportation alternatives across King County. The program is
guided by the King County Metro Transit Five-Year Implementation Plan for Alternatives to
6Traditional Transit Service Delivery adopted in 2012. Metro currently offers the following types
alternative services:
Vanpool – providing Metro vans for commuters who regularly travel to work or school.
Metropool – a rideshare program using Metro’s fleet of 100% electric, zero-emission
vehicles.
VanShare – a program using Metro vans that groups can use to travel between transit
and work on an on-going basis.
TripPool – a new service available in select communities that allows neighbors to ride
together in Metro vans between their home neighborhoods and the nearest Park & Ride or
Transit Center.
SchoolPool – an online ridematching service that helps students to find walking buddies,
biking buddies, or parent carpools to and from school.
Real-Time Rideshare – a mobile carpool matching service that helps people find one-
time carpools in real-time.
Carpool -- Metro participates in RideshareOnline.com, an extensive regional
ridematching service.
Community Shuttles – small Metro vehicles that travel a regular route with designated
Flexible Service Areas.
Emergency Ride Home – Metro provides free rides in taxis or Transportation Network
Company (TNC) ride services to registered participants for valid emergencies.
Community Van – a new Metro service for non-commute group trips such as trips to the
grocery store or special events that are arranged and scheduled by a local Transportation
Coordinator.
See the “Activities” section for more information on Metro’s alternative services.
ACCESS Paratransit
ACCESS Paratransit is a demand-responsive, variable-route transportation service provided by
the Accessible Services division of King County Metro. Metro provides ACCESS paratransit
services that exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act for individuals
whose disabilities prevent use of accessible non-commuter, fixed route bus service. As required
by the ADA, ACCESS service is provided 3/4 of a mile on either side of non-commuter fixed
route bus service during the times and on the days those routes operate. In addition to the ADA
minimum requirement, ACCESS extends service to ADA eligible individuals in some areas not
served by non-commuter fixed-route bus service between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and fills gaps in the
Metro service area beyond 3/4 of a mile. Individuals must be evaluated and deemed eligible prior
7to using ACCESS services. Eligibility is based on whether a disability prevents a person from
performing the tasks needed to ride regular bus service some or all of the time. Metro provides
ACCESS service through private contractors.
Rideshare Services, Commute Trip Reduction, and Partnership Programs
Metro offers many programs, products, and services to area employers, other organizations, and
individuals. Partners then provide the products to their employees, users, or clients as benefits or
incentives programs. Major Metro programs include:
Bicycle programs and facilities – Metro supports travel by bicycle in conjunction with
public transportation with racks on every bus to hold three bikes, racks available on
request for vanpools, bike lockers at park-and-rides and transit centers, and information
about getting around by bike. Bike travel is also included in other Metro programs that
offer incentives for alternatives to driving alone.
Community Access Transportation (CAT) – This program provides vans,
maintenance, and some operating funds to community and social service organizations.
The program makes use of new lift-equipped vehicles and passenger vans funded by
grants, as well as high-quality retired Access and vanpool vehicles for transportation
services operated by these organizations. One example is the Senior Services’ Hyde
Shuttle, which operates 40 neighborhood/community shuttles throughout King County
for seniors and people with disabilities.
Commuter vans (vanpool/vanshare) – King County Metro Transit provides vans, staff
support, maintenance, fuel and insurance to groups of five to fifteen people who
commute together. Riders pay a monthly fare based on the round-trip mileage of the
commute, work schedule, the number of people in the van and the van size. Each group
has at least one approved volunteer driver and an approved volunteer bookkeeper.
Over 1,470 groups provide convenient transportation from a variety of origins to
worksites. Metro also provides short-distance vanpooling (Vanshare) for commuters
using trains, ferries, and buses between stations, docks or park-and-rides to worksites.
Metro recently introduced several all-electric zero-emission vehicles to its fleet
(Metropool).
Home Free Guarantee – This program provides emergency taxi service for commuters
who arrive at work without their personal vehicle (by bus, carpool, vanpool, bicycle or
walking) and have an unplanned emergency or unscheduled overtime. Employers
contract with Metro for program materials and the taxi service. Commuters feel more at-
ease using alternative travel modes when they have the assurance of a way home in case
of their own or family illness or schedule change.
JARC programs – Through federal “jobs access/ reverse commute” funding (now
blended with other public transportation funds via the federal “MAP-21”), Metro works
with social service agencies to provide transportation to help low-income and welfare
reform clients transition into employment.
8 In Motion – Metro uses community-based social marketing featuring direct outreach to
households in a selected area or multi-family building, offering information and
incentives for walking, cycling, using transit and sharing rides. In Motion enlists local
businesses and organizations as partners to entice people to register as participants and
pledge to reduce car trips over a period of time. Participants earn rewards for their
reduced trips.
ORCA Business Products – Metro offers the following types of business products:
o Unlimited Ride Pass for All Employees (Passport) - Employers contract with
Metro to provide ORCA cards as subsidized passes for their employees to access
public transportation services, including bus, rail, streetcar, water taxi,
vanpool/vanshare, and guaranteed-ride home service. Ferry passes can be added
at additional cost. Smaller employers are provided a fixed, comprehensive
program. Programs for larger employers can be customized to some extent to
meet their needs.
o Retail Passes for Transit Users (Choice) – Employers purchase retail passes
provided via ORCA cards for employees to access public transportation services.
Employers may or may not subsidize passes.
Rideshare Online - www.RideshareOnline.com provides free online self-serve
ridematching services. The online system matches commuters interested in sharing rides
in carpools, commuter vans, biking with others, to events, and with other parents
transporting kids to school. For employers, www.RideshareOnline.com provides tools to
manage employee transportation programs, including distributing incentives. This
WSDOT service is implemented and promoted by Metro and other transit agencies in
Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
Special & Custom Bus Services
Metro provides special transit services for major community and sporting events in partnership
with event sponsors. In the past, Metro has operated special services to and from events such as
Seattle Mariners baseball games, Seattle Seahawks and University of Washington Husky football
games, Seafair Hydroplane races, and multiple arts, cultural, and music fairs. In 2009, the future
provision of special services was uncertain due to updated FTA regulations regarding charter
services. However, a court ruling in 2011 allowed Metro to continue to provide shuttle service
for some large-scale special events. In 2015, Metro operated special event service for the
University of Washington Husky football games, Seahawks games, Sounder matches, and the
Seafair Hydroplane races. Metro also operates several custom bus routes through partnerships
with local schools and employers.
Contract
Metro serves as the scheduler and operator for other transit services in Seattle and King County.
Metro operates eight Regional Express bus routes and Central Link light rail for Sound Transit.
Metro operates the Seattle Streetcar South Lake Union line for the City of Seattle.
9Service Connections
Metro service connects to a wide range of other transportation services in King County,
including hubs for bus, rail, ferry, and air travel. Metro provides intermodal connections with
Sound Transit Link light rail and Sounder commuter rail service, Amtrak rail service,
Washington State Ferries, and Sea-Tac International Airport. Metro also connects with other bus
services including Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit and intercity Greyhound
and Bolt bus service.
Metro serves 15 designated transit centers and several other transit hubs where multiple routes
connect to facilitate transfers. Transit centers generally have facilities beyond those provided at
regular bus stops, such as larger shelters, multiple bays, bicycle racks, public art, park-and-ride
spaces, and bus layover space. Transit centers include:
Auburn Station Issaquah Transit Center Redmond Transit Center
Aurora Village Transit Kent Station Renton Transit Center
Center Kirkland Transit Center Totem Lake Transit
Bellevue Transit Center Mount Baker Transit Center
Burien Transit Center Center Tukwila International
Federal Way Transit Northgate Transit Center Boulevard Station
Center Overlake Transit Center
Other major hubs that Metro serves include the University District and White Center. Metro
serves all 13 Link light rail stations in Seattle, Tukwila, and SeaTac, and four Sounder commuter
rail stations in Seattle, Tukwila, Kent, and Auburn. Metro connects with Amtrak at King Street
Station in downtown Seattle and at Tukwila Station. Metro connects to Washington State Ferries
services at Colman Dock in downtown Seattle, Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal in West Seattle, and
Vashon Island ferry terminals. Metro also provides passenger-only ferry service that crosses
Puget Sound on the Vashon-Fauntleroy ferry route and also between West Seattle and downtown
Seattle.
Metro connects to Community Transit services in Seattle, Shoreline, and Bothell. Metro
connects to Pierce Transit services in Federal Way and Auburn. Metro connects to Sound
Transit services at multiple transit centers and hubs throughout King County. Metro also
coordinates with the other agencies to facilitate inter-county transfers between paratransit
operations.
Metro provides service to Sea-Tac International Airport from multiple cities within King County
(e.g., Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, and Tukwila). Sound Transit Link Light Rail
service provides the primary connection between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International
Airport.
Within King County there are 64 permanent and 66 leased park-and-ride lots with a total of
25,468 vehicle spaces at the end of 2015. Metro, Sound Transit, and WSDOT own permanent
park-and-ride lots within King County and a wide variety of agencies and organizations own
spaces that Metro leases for use. Metro maintains park-and-rides owned by Metro and WSDOT.
10Metro’s entire bus fleet is equipped with bicycle racks that hold three bikes. Metro currently
provides secure bike parking for nearly 300 bikes at 28 King County locations. Secure parking
includes both leased and on-demand lockers. Most Metro park-and-rides and transit centers also
have open bike racks. During 2016, on-demand lockers or cages are being added at three Rapid
Ride locations, which will raise total secure bike parking to about 350 spaces.
Fare Structure
Metro uses a zone fare structure based on time of travel and distance. The City of Seattle is one
zone and all areas outside the city limits, but within King County, are a second zone. Peak hours
are approximately 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Metro offers reduced fares
for youth and for Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) holders, including senior, Medicare
card holders and persons with disabilities. Metro offers ORCA monthly passes which are
generally priced at 36 times the one-ride fare (i.e. a one-month pass valid for $3.25 fares costs
$117), except for RRFP and ACCESS monthly passes.
Beginning in 2009, Metro implemented the ORCA card in partnership with other Puget Sound
area transit agencies including Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap
Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, and Washington State Ferries. Riders who use an ORCA
card receive a transfer credit for two-hours between transit agencies. Metro offers paper
transfers to cash-paying customers only. Metro paper transfers are only valid on Metro services
and are not accepted as payment on any other agencies’ transit services. Metro transfers are not
valid on Sound Transit Regional Express buses or Link light rail.
Beginning in 2010, Metro implemented RapidRide, a new bus rapid transit service now
operating on six corridors. A proof-of-payment system is used on RapidRide, enabling off-board
fare payment via ORCA and all-door loading to speed operations. Metro’s regular fares in all
categories are charged on RapidRide.
Metro launched the groundbreaking ORCA LIFT reduced-fare program in March 2015, making
transit more affordable for qualified riders whose incomes are below 200% of the federal poverty
level. ORCA LIFT cardholders can save as much as $1.75 per trip on Metro, and qualify for
reduced fares on Kitsap Transit, Sound Transit Link light rail, the King County Water Taxi and
the Seattle Streetcar.
Since the program started, the number of enrollees has grown steadily to nearly 23,000 at the end
of 2015. ORCA LIFT cardholders took 2,658,810 trips in 2015, making up about 2.2% of Metro
boardings.
Table 2, below, lists current Metro fares.
11Table 2. Metro Fares as of December 31, 2015
Fare Group Fare Type Cash Fare Per Trip
Adult (age 19-64) Two-zone Peak. $3.25
One-zone Peak. $2.75
One- and Two-zone Off-peak. $2.50
Youth (age 6-18) One- and Two-zone. $1.50
Children (age 0-5) One- and Two-zone. Four children may ride free
with a person paying an
adult fare.
ORCA LIFT reduced fare One- and Two-zone, peak and $1.50
off-peak
Reduced Fare (RRFP: One- and Two-zone. $1.00
Seniors, Medicare
Cardholders and persons
with disabilities.
Access Access Transportation $1.75 ($63 monthly
unlimited ride pass)
Regional day pass Up to $3.50 / $1.75 for senior or $8.00 / $4.00 for senior or
disabled disabled
Fare for the South Lake Union Streetcar is $2.25 for adults, $1.50 cents for youth, $1.50 for
ORCA LIFT, and $1.00 for RRFP. The average monthly fare for vanpools is $107 for a 50-mile
round trip commute.
12II. 2015 Activities
Metro fixed route bus ridership was 121.2 million in 2015. Vanpool and vanshare ridership grew
to 3.6 million and total accessible services ridership dropped slightly to 1.3 million. Boardings
on Metro-operated Sound Transit bus service totaled 9.1 million, while boardings on Metro-
operated Sound Transit rail services were 11.7 million. Boardings on the Metro-operated South
Lake Union Streetcar totaled 622,000.
Major Metro accomplishments in 2015 included the following:
Continuous Improvement
Metro is committed to continuous improvement and has been implementing process
improvements throughout the agency. Such improvements have resulted in reducing vehicle
maintenance parts inventory by $3.6 million and saving 2% in annual maintenance inventory
costs.
In 2015, Metro’s Vehicle Maintenance section began implementing Lean visual management
systems at all maintenance bases. These systems involve establishing team meetings for all shifts
that focus on reviewing performance metrics and solving operational problems. Metro will
expand its Lean management systems to the bus operations and facilities management sections in
2016.
In 2015, Metro also conducted training for leaders on Lean process improvement tools, which
resulted in more than 30 process improvements in vehicle maintenance, facilities management,
customer services and construction project management.
See the “planned activities” section for more details.
Performance Measurement and Transparency
Metro undertakes a wide array performance measurement and benchmarking efforts. Metro is
part of the International Bus Benchmarking Group (IBBG), which includes ten international and
three North American transit agencies. IBBG agencies submit specific financial and operating
data annually. The data is compiled and summarized in an annual report and also available at a
more detailed level for peer comparison purposes. In addition, the IBBG agencies participate in
two broad case studies looking in depth at specific transit topics affecting all agencies. IBBG
agencies also have access to an online forum for asking specific transit-related questions of peer
agencies.
Metro also compares itself to 30 of its peers using data from the National Transit Database
(NTD). From this, Metro produces a peer comparison report that looks at changes in
performance on an annual, five-year and ten-year basis.
For over 20 years, Metro has conducted annual surveys of riders to track customer
characteristics, awareness and satisfaction. In 2015, Metro completed an annual survey of riders
to gather information on customer demographics, characteristics and attitudes and to understand
non-rider perceptions of Metro and barriers to ridership.
Metro maintains an online accountability center. It includes electronic versions of the reports
described above. The accountability center contains quarterly performance highlights, as well as
13annual and monthly performance dashboards. It houses electronic copies of Metro’s customer
research surveys and tracks park & ride usage.
Metro conducted a visual management system pilot program with the Vehicle Maintenance
section, an effort that accompanied a “deep dive” into that section’s performance and its
performance measurement techniques. The process to implement Lean management techniques
in the section will continue in 2016, and the visual management system pilot program will
expand as well, making Metro a leader in adopting Lean practices in King County.
Strategic Plan for Public Transportation and Service Guidelines
King County Metro continued to work towards improving the 61 measures identified in the
Strategic Plan for Public Transportation. The October 2015 service guidelines report identified
471,650 hours of investment need in passenger crowding, schedule reliability, and achieving
target service levels in the transit network. In the years since Metro’s Strategic Plan and Service
Guidelines were adopted, Metro has completed five Service Guidelines Reports and had adjusted
service thirteen times.
Service Guidelines Task Force. Building on the lessons of the past few years of
implementation of this policy, Metro convened a Service Guidelines Task Force to review and
make recommendations about the service guidelines. Metro completed this work in 2015 and
made revisions to the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation and Service Guidelines based on
task force recommendations. The new plan and guidelines were transmitted to King County
Council at the end of 2015 for adoption in 2016 and include changes that:
value different types of service in different areas of the county,
better reflect social equity and geographic value,
revise how Metro reduces service,
standardize Metro’s passenger crowding metric,
establish new outreach goals, including better understanding origins and destinations and
improving how we communicate changes to the transit network,
expand policies and outline goals related to service and infrastructure partnerships,
add policies relating to safe and convenient access to transit by all modes, and
outline the goals, prioritization criteria, and performance measurement for the alternative
services program.
Once approved, the refinements to policies and procedures recommended by the task force will
be incorporated into how Metro evaluates and manages transit service throughout the county.
Updated policies will also drive Metro’s work in alternative services and will shape the future of
partnerships with local governments, businesses, and community groups to help meet the
mobility needs of communities.
Sound Transit – Metro Transit Integration
As the executive in charge of Metro Transit, and chair of the Sound Transit Board of Directors,
King County Executive Dow Constantine in 2014 announced actions under his initiative to
advance integration between the two agencies—actions that will promote a more seamless
experience for riders and enable future service expansion. This initiative builds on years of on-
going integration between the two agencies in areas of operations and policy. For example:
14 Express bus service planning and scheduling – Metro and Sound Transit work together to
plan service, and Metro schedules the service.
Federal funding distribution – Metro and Sound Transit work closely with the Puget
Sound Regional Council and other agencies in the region to ensure Federal formula-based
funds allocated to the region are spread equitably across the agencies.
Operations and maintenance – As contract partners, Metro and Sound Transit coordinate
across the board on routine matters including fleet maintenance and acquisition,
operations and safety, and data reporting (both internally and externally).
Fare policy – Beginning with a Regional Fare Forum in 1997 which in the 1999
PugetPass agreement and which laid the groundwork for subsequent ORCA fare
agreements, Metro and Sound Transit have coordinated fare structures and fare levels. In
2015, participating agencies began planning for the next generation ORCA system.
In September of 2014, Metro and Sound Transit released the “Getting there together – Transit
integration report”. The report outlines further actions under the integration initiative issued in
June by Executive Constantine as an executive order to Metro and as a motion unanimously
adopted by the Sound Transit Board of Directors. Following up on this initial work, Metro and
Sound Transit worked closely together on several major projects in 2015:
U-Link integration. Metro and Sound Transit worked closely with communities on
Capitol Hill and in the University District to prepare for the opening of two new Link
light rail stations in 2016. These efforts were designed to streamline the bus network and
increase the geographic coverage of the frequent transit network, extending mobility
benefits to more people.
Long-range planning and outreach. Metro and Sound Transit exhibited an
unprecedented level of coordination while developing long-range plans. This planning,
which involved outreach with city staffs and stakeholders as well, is helping to ensure our
transit systems grow together in a coordinated and integrated fashion: Metro is planning
system restructures to coincide with the build-out of light rail to extend mobility benefits
similar to what we are accomplishing with the U-Link expansion.
Station planning. As a result of the push for greater integration and our efforts to study
issues associated with accessing the transit system, Metro and Sound Transit are working
to better integrate light rail station area planning. Both agencies are striving to ensure
inter-modal transfers of all kinds (including bike/ped) can be accomplished smoothly,
quickly, and safely.
King County and Sound Transit are moving forward with recommendations and a have initiated
a steering committee of high level managers reviewing a register of projects.
Service Quality Investments
Metro made investments in the service network in 2015. In conjunction with service purchases
by the City of Seattle, Metro’s investments were able to address all of the investment needs in
the top two investment priorities: relieving crowding and improving reliability. These needs are
identified by a rigorous analysis of the transit system as part of the annual Service Guidelines
Report. The City of Seattle’s and Metro’s investments helped improve the system by investing
approximately 39,000 annual hours of service for crowding and reliability. Approximately 40%
15of these added service hours helped relieve crowding and 60% of the added service helped
improve reliability. Given that the City of Seattle funded approximately two-thirds of the total
investment many improvements occurred within the city of Seattle on most routes in
Seattle. However, Metro’s investments and the City of Seattle Regional Partnership investments
help improve service on routes in the I-90 corridor (Routes 212, 216, 218, 219), the SR-522
corridor (paid for by a Washington DOT Regional Mobility Grant), and on South King County
routes 124 and 143. In addition, Metro made many small investments in reliability, improving
many East King County and South King County routes. Given the region’s booming economy,
increasing ridership, and worsening congestion, additional near-term investments will likely be
needed to address crowding and reliability.
Community Mobility Contract Program
Metro created a Community Mobility Contracts program allowing cities to purchase transit
service above what Metro is currently able to provide, given current financial constraints. This
program was not designed as a permanent solution to the region’s transit funding challenges, but
rather as an option for cities to enhance or restore transit service. The program is similar to
Metro’s existing Service Partnership Program, but allows for a more significant investment that
covers the full cost of providing service. The Community Mobility Contracts program is based
on three principles:
Contracts must reflect the full cost of providing the service.
Contracts cannot come at the expense of other cities or the regional allocation of service.
The program is intended as a bridge to keep buses on the street until the state legislature
provides a sustainable funding tool for local transportation needs.
On November 4, 2014, City of Seattle residents voted to approve the Seattle Transportation
Benefit District’s Proposition 1, which generated approximately $30 million in new revenue in
2015. Under Metro’s new Community Mobility Contracts Program, this new revenue is being
used to purchase bus service on routes with more than 80 percent of their stops within the city.
The first tranche of investments began operating in June 2015; additional service was purchased
in September 2015, and more is planned for 2016. As of the end of 2015, Seattle was funding
approximately 210,000 annual service hours of Metro bus service.
Southeast Seattle Process
In response to rider concerns about mobility impacts of some recent restructures to bus service in
southeast Seattle in relation to the opening of Link light rail, Metro convened a community
advisory group to gather detailed input. Metro coordinated with several community advocacy
organizations, posted multi-lingual posters and handouts at about 30 community locations and in
high-ridership areas, and conducted an online survey to gather feedback on proposed changes to
routes serving the area. This feedback shaped a service change proposal to be implemented in
2016 and demonstrated Metro’s commitment to community-driven service.
Alternative Services Program
Alternative Services are an important component of Metro’s efforts to deliver cost effective
transportation services to parts of King County that do not have the infrastructure, density, or
land use to support traditional fixed-route bus service. Currently in a 4-year demonstration phase
16(2015-2018), the Alternative Service Program has 14 projects in 10 communities throughout the
county. In February of 2015, Metro and the City of Snoqualmie launched the Snoqualmie
Community Shuttle, Route 628 to serve the corridor between North Bend, Snoqualmie, and
Issaquah Highlands during the weekday peak period. In June 2015, Metro and the City of
Mercer Island launched the Mercer Island Community Shuttle/Route 630 which provides one-
way, peak-period service connecting Mercer Island to downtown Seattle and First Hill. At the
same time, Metro launched the Burien Community Shuttle/Route 631 in partnership with the
City of Burien which provides off-peak weekday service for local circulation and connection to
the regional transit network. In October 2015, the Redmond Real-Time Rideshare pilot of the
iCarpool app entered a soft-launch phase with the app relaunched with upgrades in January 2016.
Long Range Plan
In 2014, Metro began development of a Long Range Plan. The planning process was publicly
launched in 2015. Over the year, staff from across the agency worked to develop the three main
parts of the plan: service, capital, and finance. Over a dozen intensive internal planning sessions
were conducted to develop, refine, and incorporate feedback into two future service networks,
one for 2025 and one for 2040. In an effort to greatly expand county-wide coordination in land
use and transportation planning, the long range planning team held 15 meetings with the
Technical Advisory Committee, a group composed of staff from cities and transit agencies in
King County, and worked closely with Sound Transit partners to ensure future service networks
are planned and implemented in an integrated fashion. Additionally, a Community Advisory
Group composed of 24 King County residents provided input at nine meetings. The plan will be
finalized in 2016 in order to coordinate with the Sound Transit’s system planning efforts, with
full adoption expected in early 2017.
Access to Transit
In 2015, King County Metro completed a two-year study of factors that influence the public’s
access to transit and how access might be improved. This study considered the role of
infrastructure in providing access, how access needs are reported and funded, and regional
coordination and policies on the topic. This effort has been a key resource in the ongoing
development of Metro’s long range transit plan, informed the 2015 update to Metro’s Strategic
Plan for Public Transportation to enhance access by different modes, and continues to serve as a
resource to use with jurisdictions on how to jointly improve access to transit.
Building on the study, Metro will be considering opportunities to increase access to transit by all
modes. Metro has received multiple grants to support both parking and non-motorized
improvements. Metro is expanding its parking program to look at how it can provide and manage
it transit parking more efficiently. Efforts include additional data collection, restriping of park
and ride lots to create more spaces, consideration of opportunities to expand its leased lots and
other shared parking opportunities, and an HOV parking permit pilot. Metro is also pursuing
improvements to non-motorized access to transit through partnerships and grants funding.
I-90/SR 18 Park-and-Ride Feasibility Study
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provided funds to King County Metro via the
Washington State Department of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study for a future park-
and-ride facility in the vicinity of the I-90 and SR 18 interchange. The key elements of this study
included: 1. Identification of transit demand for sizing a new park‐and‐ride facility to serve both
17existing and future ridership; 2. Development and application of evaluation criteria to potential
sites to identify optimal locations for future park‐and‐ride development; and 3. Assessment of
access to potential sites and development of conceptual site layouts and preliminary cost
estimates for up to three potential park‐and‐ride locations. Key findings of the study include:
King County does not currently have funding to purchase land or to design and construct
a new park‐and‐ride facility within the study area.
Ridership demand for a new park‐and‐ride facility will remain low (less than 30) with the
increases in population and employment that are projected to occur within east King
County unless significant enhancements are made to the current transit routes serving the
study area.
Zero-Emissions Buses
In 2015, Metro began operating new battery-equipped trolley buses. These new buses, which will
replace the existing fleet in its entirety, have the capability to run a limited distance off-wire,
enabling Metro to use them when wire is de-energized or when trolleys have to deviate from
routing. The new buses are also about 30% more energy efficient when running on-wire. In
2015, Metro conducted a series of tests and pilot projects to better understand the capabilities and
limitations of this new technology as well as the myriad policy and operational implications of
running off-wire. Metro aims to reduce the number of times diesel buses are substituted for
trolley buses, thereby reducing emissions and helping to meet climate action goals.
Metro also began testing three Proterra all-battery electric buses in east King County. These
buses and the associated charging station installed at Eastgate park-and-ride were funded by a
TIGGER grant. Metro’s experience with the buses has been positive, and a decision was made
in early 2016 to procure additional fleet.
Title VI Program Report
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that no person be excluded “from participation
in, be denied benefits of, or subject to discrimination under” in activities financed by the federal
government. Every three years, Metro prepares a Title VI Program Report per the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines, the last one being in 2013, describing the agency’s
service and efforts to ensure that the goals of the act were met. In the interim years, Metro
conducts various analyses of the policies and programs that may fall under the provisions of this
act. In 2015, Metro analyzed the impacts of bus service changes to integrate with new Link
Light rail service to the University of Washington and Capitol Hill, as well as other changes
implemented as part of the March 2016 service change.
Partnership to Achieve Comprehensive Equity (PACE)
The Partnership to Achieve Comprehensive Equity (PACE) was launched in September 2013
between the leaders of Metro, ATU Local 587, and Professional and Technical Employees Local
17. This multifaceted organizational transformation initiative connects the partnering
organizations through an enduring effort to build and enhance the processes, tools, and standards
for advancing diversity and inclusion, equity, and equal opportunity for all Metro employees.
PACE represents the application of the County’s focus on Equity and Social Justice internally to
its own work environment. It also advances the County’s goal of increasing employee
18engagement through employee-based committees. In 2015, PACE undertook a variety of
activities, including:
Developing more than 20 PACE projects and programs – including Metro’s new
EEO/Diversity & Inclusion Program in response to PACE recommendations;
Increasing communication avenues through setting up a PACE hotline, installing PACE
information holders at all Metro worksites, and establishing a PACE email subscription
list to facilitate regular updates on the program;
Establishing and hiring Metro’s first EEO/Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager;
Influencing and informing the development of King County’s Equity and Social Justice
Strategic Plan;
Developing and implementing mandatory recruitment/selection training for interview
panelists and HR staff, and providing focused anti-bias training for HR staff;
Executing an “Aspiring Leader” pilot program within the Rail section; and
Advancing equity through various efforts including those related to policies governing
customer comments and complaints.
Communications
Metro offers a very successful “Transit Alert” subscription service for riders, who can elect to
receive information via email or text about changes to Metro service. Riders can subscribe
to specific routes and can also request general Metro alerts, which provide information about
service revisions due to weather, traffic, construction or events. At the end of December 2015,
there were 54,770 subscribers to Metro Transit Alerts. Metro prepared 2,320 different alerts in
2015 that they sent to various subscribers, totaling over 10.9 million alert deliveries.
In addition to Metro Transit Alerts, riders can also receive information about changes to Metro
service via Metro’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, along with Metro’s website and trip
planner. In 2015, Metro’s twitter account @kcmetrobus had 56,400 followers and Metro’s
Facebook account @kcmetro had 7,400 likes. Metro’s website had over 6.7 million visits in
2015, and Metro’s Trip Planner had an additional 2.2 million visits.
Customer Communications and Contacts System
In September 2015, Metro transitioned to a new C3 system for managing customer
comments. This system has features which reflect Metro’s commitment to respond to 100% of
our customer comments in a timely way. It is designed with multiple access levels that allow
agency staff to interact with the system in multiple ways, including summary dashboards,
notification emails, a custom interface for base operations chiefs, and full licenses for end-to-end
case management. Customers submitting comments via the Metro Online portal now receive an
immediate email acknowledgement and case number. Workflow among Customer Information
Specialists is easily assigned and status monitored to ensure cases are closed as soon as any
necessary internal inquiries have been completed. Customizable reporting functions allow
tracking and multi-level drill-down on specific issues of concern. Since implementation, CIO
specialists have handled 26,832 cases involving complaints, commendations and service
requests; this number represents approximately 400 more cases processed per month than in the
previous period with the old CRM. The new C3 system has also enabled integration with
19Customer Communication and Services social media and executive correspondence functions,
making it an increasingly powerful tool for surfacing both quantitative and qualitative data about
the customer experience at Metro.
ORCA
Metro continues to promote use of the ORCA fare card and establish new business accounts. As
of December 2015, the region had 2,044 business accounts that purchase ORCA products for
their employees and/or students. About two-thirds of all weekday boardings now use ORCA.
Low Income Fare Program (ORCA LIFT)
In early 2014, the King County Executive proposed and the King County Council approved a
new discounted fare for low-income riders to take effect with the March, 2015 fare change. The
ORCA LIFT program launched on time, providing about a 50% reduction in fares for qualified
riders whose incomes are below 200% of the federal poverty level. Cardholders can save as
much as $1.75 per trip on Metro and qualify for reduced fares on Kitsap Transit, Sound Transit,
the King County Water Taxi, and the Seattle Streetcar. Enrolled members at the end of 2015
totaled nearly 23,000 and took nearly 2.7 million trips over the year, about 2.2% of Metro
boardings. The program team was honored on the WSDOT Wall of Fame.
Major Projects Planning
Metro staff continued to coordinate with WSDOT, Sound Transit, and local jurisdictions to plan
for major transportation projects in King County. Some of these projects include the Alaskan
Way Viaduct replacement project, the First Hill Streetcar, initial planning for RapidRide
expansion (including new lines funded by Seattle’s Proposition 1), Convention Place Station
planning (prompted by the sale of the station), planning for the end of joint bus/rail operations in
the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, planning for Atlantic/Central base expansion, and initial
exploration of the potential to build a new bus base.
Downtown Seattle Transit Coordination
Metro continued to participate in the 5-agency process Downtown Seattle Transit Coordination
process along with WSDOT, Sound Transit, City of Seattle and Community Transit to ensure
that the transit network, and the transportation system as a whole, performs well in downtown
Seattle in the midst of high levels of construction. The coordinated effort develops action plans
with low cost solutions to address specific milestones around downtown development, major
construction such as the SR 99 Tunnel Project, the Central Waterfront Project, and continued
Link expansion. The vision of this effort is to keep transit the most convenient and reliable way
to access downtown Seattle in support of a prosperous economy and a transforming
transportation system.
Third Avenue Transit Corridor Improvements Project
Since 2012 King County has been engaged with the City of Seattle in a joint grant-funded
initiative to develop and implement infrastructure improvements for the heaviest-used transit
corridor in Metro’s system. The goal of the project is to make the Third Avenue corridor a more
inviting, accommodating and attractive place for transit users, pedestrians and visitors by
improving the pedestrian environment and the transit function. Project improvements completed
through 2015 include: installation of kiosks that provide real-time bus arrival information and
20ORCA card readers at Third Avenue RapidRide stops; widening of the sidewalk on the block of
Third Avenue between Pine Street and Stewart Street; transit preferential treatments were
established through the Belltown segment of the corridor; 30% design was completed for the
entire corridor that identifies streetscape and transit stop improvements; and stakeholder
engagement was completed to prioritize improvements for final design and construction with
available project funding. Work in 2016 will advance to final design the following: full sidewalk
rebuild including new transit amenities between Pine Street and Union Street (4 block faces),
establishment of new bus stops on Marion-Columbia block new transit amenities (deferring
sidewalk rebuild to a future date), and complete final design for new transit-only signal at
3rd/Denny. In addition, the project will develop a funding and phasing plan for the full corridor,
and continue to support private investment opportunities. Construction of project improvements
is expected to begin in 2017.
Center City Mobility Plan / One City Center
The Center City Mobility Plan is an outgrowth of efforts by the longstanding Downtown
Transportation Alliance (DTA), a coalition of downtown stakeholders, local government and
transit agencies focused on supporting a mobile and thriving downtown. Concentrating on an
area that serves as the economic engine for the Puget Sound region, the Center City Mobility
Plan will include downtown and neighborhoods immediately surrounding it—Belltown, Denny
Triangle, Uptown, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Pike-Pine, the
Chinatown/International District and Pioneer Square. It will incorporate other initiatives,
including Move Seattle, Metro’s Long Range Plan, Sound Transit 2 and a prospective Sound
Transit 3 system plan. The project was initiated in 2015 and will continue planning in 2016 and
2017.
21These accomplishments and other Metro actions in 2015 met the WSDOT transportation goals
set out by the Washington State legislature (RCW 47.04.280). Other Metro actions that met
WSDOT goals included:
Preservation:
Maintain, preserve, and extend the life and utility of prior investments in transportation
systems and services. Metro’s asset management plan for fixed assets meets “State of Good
Repair” (SGR) principles in compliance with FTA guidelines and its strategic plan for capital
reinvestments called MAP-21. Fixed assets are defined as buildings and structures, building
systems, sites, infrastructure and equipment. The objectives for keeping fixed assets in states of
good repair are to:
• Implement routine maintenance and repair to optimize asset performance.
• Operate asset systems and equipment cost effectively.
• Reinvest assets according to defined indicators for timely renewals.
• Financially plan to reduce backlogs of unmet capital needs.
Examples of SGR efforts include bus shelter cleaning and rebuilding: 267 bus stop refurbishment
and improvement projects were completed in 2015. Other examples include elevator
refurbishment, security equipment maintenance, roof refurbishment or replacement, ventilation
improvements, bus wash system replacement, and major equipment replacements like air
compressing systems. The maintenance and replacement program is based on industry standard
life cycles as well as the assessed condition of equipment.
Vehicle Maintenance also ensures the fleet (both revenue and non-revenue vehicles) remains up-
to-date. In 2015, we retired 146 coaches and 27 non-revenue vehicles. Vehicle maintenance put
179 new coaches and 87 non-revenue vehicles into service.
Safety:
Provide for and improve the safety and security of transportation customers and the
transportation system. Metro has increased its emphasis on safety throughout the organization,
including the continuance of our focus on reducing pedestrian incidents. Intensive efforts over
the past several years have yielded a stabilization in pedestrian strikes. In 2015, Metro embarked
on a comprehensive safety systems and safety culture review to gain a thorough understanding of
existing conditions and chart a path forward to improve both our systems and our culture. Metro
has a program of Continuing Education Training for all coach operators, has been testing various
emerging technology to alert operators of potentially dangerous situations, and resolved to hire a
permanent Chief Safety Officer (to occur in 2016). Incremental implementation of the
recommendations from the Comprehensive Safety Review will begin in 2016.
Metro approved and deployed (via their contractor agency) new security officer uniforms,
including integrated patches defining officers as members of King County Metro Transit
Security, which tightens the partnership and increases the perception of authority (and resulting
compliance levels). These uniforms incorporate reflective and bright tops, which increase
visibility, reflectivity, and ensure citizens can easily spot a security officer when needed. Metro
continues its Weapons of Mass Destruction Detector program by completing testing and
preparing for deployment. Metro’s partnership with Federal authorities in the Bio-Watch
22biological weapons detection program continues as a strong partnership as well, with Metro
recently upgraded to a primary regional partner in post-detection decision-making. Metro is
finishing making strides in deploying more and more camera systems to coaches on the road,
headed toward 50% fleet deployment. Finally, Metro is continuing a program to ensure ICS
training for all positions above operator, and providing combined 100/200/700-level, Transit-
specific training as a custom course for the agency. By the end of the year, a total of 715
employees received full or introductory ICS training in the previous 18-month training cycle.
Mobility:
Improve the predictable movement of goods and people throughout Washington State. In
the face of financial challenges causing Metro to reduce service in fall 2014, better-than-
expected tax revenues, fuel savings, and Seattle’s Proposition 1 enabled Metro to expand service
significantly in 2015. Metro continues to operate Enhanced Transit Services to mitigate impacts
of Alaskan Way Viaduct construction. We engaged in a wide-reaching and sustained outreach
program in 2015 to gather input and feedback about changes to the bus network that would occur
when Link light rail opened on Capitol Hill and at the University of Washington in March 2016.
This effort to integrate with Sound Transit will extend mobility benefits to more people.
Metro is exploring other ways to improve the mobility of transit riders throughout King County
through major efforts including preparing a Long Range Plan and making ongoing adjustments
to its service network. Additionally, updates to Metro’s Strategic Plan for Public Transportation
were finalized at the end of 2015 include new strategies that aim to increase safe and convenient
access to transit by bike, on foot, and by car. These updates were based on extensive research
and outreach over two years.
Environment:
Enhance Washington’s quality of life through transportation investments that promote
energy conservation, enhance healthy communities, and protect the environment. Metro
continued operating an environmentally-friendly fleet including electric trolley buses, hybrid
buses, and a fleet of 25 electric vanpool vehicles. Metro aims to have a 100% trolley, battery,
and hybrid fleet by 2018. Metro continued to replace its fleet of trolley buses with new versions
that have improved energy efficiency, regenerative braking, and the ability to travel “off-wire”
for limited distances, reducing the substitute diesel buses when construction affects routes along
electric bus corridors. As mentioned previously, Metro also began operating three Proterra
battery buses in 2016 and is now looking to expand this fleet. Additionally, nine Access vans
were converted to use LPG fuel. Metro continued the “In Motion” neighborhood programs
throughout King County to promote use of alternative transportation modes. Several energy
conservation projects, including lighting upgrades and HVAC and boiler replacements, were
completed. Metro is a founding signatory to the American Public Transportation Association
(APTA) Sustainability Commitment and has achieved Gold recognition.
Stewardship:
Continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the transportation
system. As noted above, Metro is committed to continuous improvement and has been
implementing process improvements throughout the agency. Areas of emphasis have included
streamlining the Passport account interactions between businesses and the regional ORCA fare
collection system as well as reducing vehicle maintenance parts inventories. Metro is forging a
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